


to the end of a dream

by breadofthewild



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon Related, Childhood, Childhood Friends, F/M, Friendship/Love, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), pretty much works for any route except crimson flower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:07:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22093057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breadofthewild/pseuds/breadofthewild
Summary: When they were children, Hubert swore to Edelgard that he would follow her anywhere. Even until the end.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Hubert von Vestra, Edelgard von Hresvelg/Hubert von Vestra
Kudos: 26





	to the end of a dream

**Author's Note:**

> aka for some reason i never realized that el and hubert have known each other since childhood n practically grew up together...so have this thing that i thought up of on a whim

Children rush out onto the open streets of Enbarr, chanting excitedly about the school day's end. In a flurry, a mob of tiny kids burst through the doors of the most prestigious elementary school in Enbarr, pushing and shoving to get to their homes as quickly as possible.

Two small children are squished amongst the crowd, but one holds his hand out towards the other and grabs ahold of them tightly.

"Oh, it's Hubert. Look at him all cozied up by Edelgard!"

A few boys point at the duo to laugh in their faces, mocking and spitting and sticking their tongues out at them. More so the taller of the two, whereas Edelgard only glares at the group of boys.

"Hey! What's your problem?" Edelgard spats, her hand still gripping tightly to Hubert's. "You've all got no business making fun of other people!"

"What are you gonna do, Princess? Tell your parents you got bullied at school?" one of the boy jeers, and the rest of them laugh. They all scurry off in a flash before any adults can call out their bickering, and they soon disappear into the streets leaving Edelgard and Hubert behind.

"Really! What is wrong with people?" Edelgard cries, narrowing her eyebrows in the direction the boys have taken off in. Hubert releases his hand from Edelgard's and drops it to his side, shrugging.

"I don't know, Lady Edelgard," Hubert replies. "But it seems they like to pick on the nobility in particular."

"What a bunch of nonsense! Being a noble has nothing to do with our differences," Edelgard growls, crossing her arms over her chest. Then, mumbling under her breath, "Sometimes I hate this system of nobility."

"What was that?" Hubert asks, directing his attention towards his liege. He has to tilt his head down a fair bit to rest his gaze on Edelgard, but he doesn't complain nor mind.

"I hate the system of nobility," Edelgard repeats, louder, more confident this time. She says it with a fierce determination in her eyes, something that sets her heart aflame, and Hubert understands it a little. He's been around Edelgard long enough to know that she hates anything that separates humans by class, a useless system to justify discrimination and segregation. And perhaps it was ironic for her to be so opposed to the Empire's system of nobility in the first place, being the princess.

But that also gave her the exact reason to hate it even more.

"Hate is a pretty strong word, wouldn't you say?" Hubert comments, sticking by Edelgard's side as they begin their walk back to the castle. He doesn't step any further than a few feet away from Edelgard whenever she was in his sight, and that was something his father took the most pride in. His son's loyalty.

"That's precisely why I used it," Edelgard counters, pursing her lips. "What's the real difference between a noble and a commoner anyway? Nothing, once you take away the money from both of them."

"I...suppose so," Hubert agrees, thinking. He isn't quite sure where Edelgard is trying to take this, but he listens nonetheless.

"One day, I'm going to smash this unfair system. I'm going to destroy it so that everyone can live equally without any kind of title," Edelgard declares, her eyes trailing towards the sky. She's the same determined girl she's always been, one that's never backed out of her beliefs under any circumstances whatsoever. She was bold and brave, courageous and thoughtful. She was everything the Empire needed in an heir, and Hubert longed for the day she will take the throne and rule it rightfully.

But Edelgard dreams big. Bigger than Hubert could've ever expected.

"I think that's a great goal," Hubert says, clearing his throat. "But there is still time left until you take the throne officially, yes?"

"Ten years until I'm of age," Edelgard states, as if she's memorized the years down to the days in the back of her mind. And to some extent, she has. She's been counting down the days until she'll be able to start something anew, bring forth a future the Empire's never seen before.

Edelgard stops in her tracks and balls her fists by her sides. Her shoulders tense up, but soon relax when Hubert stops beside her. He glances behind to take a look at what's wrong, and his eyes fall upon a small girl with dreams as big as the sky.

"Hubert, do you think I'll be worthy to be the emperor?" Edelgard softly asks, her tone completely shifted. Hubert is a bit taken aback by the sudden change in emotion, but he forces himself to nod.

"Yes. I have no doubt, Lady Edelgard."

Edelgard rests her eyes on the clouds. "Do you reckon you'll still be with me by then?"

Hubert nods again, this time without hesitation. "Of course. House Vestra has served House Hresvelg for generations. We are bound by contract, after all."

Edelgard shakes her head lightly, shifting her gaze on Hubert. Her lavender eyes pierce through his, and Hubert takes notice of how light they look during the day. "By contract, yes. But do you think of me as anything more than a liege, Hubert?"

The children are coming back out of their houses to play with their neighbors on the streets. People dart in and out of the sidewalks, and suddenly the world is so loud Hubert can barely concentrate on the question that's been asked.

"I'm not quite sure I understand," is all Hubert can muster. Because he truly doesn't.

Edelgard sighs, and suddenly the odd emotion that's been hanging in the air between them is gone. She waves her hand dismissively. "Forget about it. All I'm saying is that I think of you as a friend, Hubert. Not just my vassal." She starts to walk ahead, and Hubert quickly scrambles to keep up.

"Ah, uh, right." Words suddenly evade Hubert, and he searches his mind for something to say. Edelgard doesn't respond, just looks ahead and continues walking down the familiar road.

Finally, Hubert conjures up a few words to say. "Wherever you go, Lady Edelgard, I'll always be willing to follow your path." A silence rests in the air, and Hubert clears his throat to force himself to say more. "Not because my father tells me to, or because of some contract. But because I...I want to."

They are only children, but they both understand the concept. Hubert's admittance to following Edelgard's footsteps on his own accord whether he had a choice or not was enough to confirm that Edelgard had a true friend beside her. She smiles to herself as she lets the words sink into her mind, and throws a glance over her shoulder to see Hubert. He doesn't look any different or show any hint of emotion on his face as per usual, but Edelgard liked to believe that she saw a flash of pink on his pale cheeks that day.

♔

A knock comes on the emperor's door. Hubert peeks inside once Edelgard says it's open.

"Lady Edelgard," Hubert greets, bowing his head briskly. "I have a report on our enemy's whereabouts."

"Tell me the details," Edelgard orders, standing from her seat at her desk.

"They have marched through Fort Merceus and are preparing an assault on Enbarr as we speak. I deduce that they will be here within a few days, at most."

Edelgard sighs, a sign of frustration and anger all in one. "So they've made it this far..." she comments, pinching the fabric of her dress in between her forefinger and thumb. She takes a breath.

"I have gathered all of our troops to launch a defensive attack within Enbarr. Naturally, the citizens have no clue as to what's to come. What are your orders on that matter, Lady Edelgard?"

Edelgard pauses, and she runs through the situation in her head. The citizens would surely break out into a panic if they were to evacuate them now, even if they told them not to worry. The emperor weighs on her choices of keeping the citizens in or out, and finally, she nods her head in affirmation to herself.

She will keep them in.

"Leave them be until the opposing army arrives. Chaos will ensue once the enemy breaks through, and knowing who we're up against..." Edelgard ponders on the faces she's seen at Gronder, the ones of her former classmates and professors. She forces them out of her mind. "Knowing who we're up against, they will hesitate to advance carelessly with the innocent running amok. It will at least buy us some time."

Hubert nods, collecting the information and storing it in his mind. "Of course, Lady Edelgard. I will inform our commanders."

"And Hubert," Edelgard calls, locking her gaze on her vassal's. "You do not intend to throw yourself in the battle, do you?"

Hubert hesitates, biting his tongue. He should've known Edelgard would've figured out his plans, so he only blinks for a long time and sighs. Then, he nods.

"Yes, I do. We are short on troops, and I cannot risk the castle's gates to be overrun by our enemies. I will do whatever it takes to protect Enbarr," Hubert admits. He closes his eyes. "Even if it means risking my life."

Edelgard sighs to herself, but Hubert doesn't hear it. Her eyes are downcast, resting on the carpet they stood on. The study is large, and the pair are at least ten feet apart from one another, but Hubert can still sense the weight on the emperor's shoulders across the room.

"So you would risk your life in order to minimize the risk of Enbarr being taken," Edelgard comments, her voice even and steady. She isn't mad or upset, or at least she doesn't show it. She maintains her emperor guard, holding her tongue and biting the inside of her cheek. But finally, she lets go of the breath she hasn't realized she's been holding, and takes a few steps closer to Hubert.

"Yes," is all Hubert can manage to say to her.

"In truth, that attitude infuriates me," Edelgard says then, throwing her arms out in a frustrated flurry. In that moment, Hubert thinks of how small she looks. "Throwing your life away for...for something like this, when we are so close to meeting our end!"

"But sacrifices have never been a problem for you, Lady Edelgard," Hubert states, neither harsh nor accusatory. Just factual. "This is not any different. We all fight for you, for the future you will bring. We are close to meeting our end now, and that is why we fight with more determination than ever. Don't you see?"

"I...I know," Edelgard admits, shutting her eyes for a few moments. The darkness lets her organize her thoughts, but they still come out too emotional. Too sensitive. "But it's...it's different now. It's different because it's you."

Hubert understands the idea. The duo have been by each other's side for so long that they can understand each other's feelings despite how oblivious they both could be. Hubert understands, and he knows that what he's doing is hurting the emperor. But he was hoping she would act as his liege rather than his friend in this moment, because it would've been much more convenient for him.

But perhaps that is also selfish of him. Selfish of him to distance himself, and selfish to hope Edelgard wouldn't care this much about him.

Hubert doesn't think, doesn't ask for permission or pardon himself. He strides over to Edelgard in three quick steps and rests his forehead against hers. His hands clasp either side of her face gently, so, so gently, and Edelgard brings her own to wrap around his wrists.

"I believe in you, Edelgard," Hubert breathes, his eyes closed. "And I will fight for you with all the life I have in me. I promised to follow your path wherever you chose to go, and I am here. I do not plan to leave you now."

"Hubert," Edelgard whispers. "You know there is no promise you'll survive."

"No, there isn't," Hubert agrees, and he opens his eyes to meet Edelgard's. Her eyes are so light, lighter than they've ever been before, and for a moment, Hubert is whisked back to his childhood. He remembers the days when the two would walk around during the day and he would notice the sparkle of determination in her irises, the fire of her dreams. He's stored all those memories away in his mind for years now, those days never being useful to him in the present. But now, now he remembers. Remembers where it all began.

Hubert pulls away. His hands rest at his sides, and Edelgard lets go of his wrists despite wanting to hold onto them longer.

But there isn't any time. They both know that.

"Everything I do is for you," Hubert swears, resting his gloved hand over his chest. He bows, facing the floor to avoid Edelgard's gaze so that she couldn't see the tears that threatened to spill over. It was so unlike him, to cry over something like this, but Hubert truly felt like this was the last time they would speak to each other as friends. The feeling in his gut sickened him, and he felt his heart twist. But he forced out the words he wanted Edelgard to hear.

"We will not lose. And please, Lady Edelgard..."

Hubert stands a little straighter now, the signs of tears completely gone.

"Take care."


End file.
